Woman's body found in Choctawhatchee Bay

Published: Friday, December 6, 2013 at 05:07 PM.

NICEVILLE — A woman’s body was recovered from Choctawhatchee Bay on Friday afternoon, shortly before officials discovered wreckage of a boat near the Mid-Bay Bridge.

A resident contacted the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office about 2 p.m. after noticing the body in the bay. Niceville firefighters pulled the woman from the water about a mile south of Dana Pointe, according to Assistant Fire Chief Tony Lohrman.

The woman had no identification, said Stan Kirkland, spokesman Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. However, officials had a tentative ID and were trying to contact her family Friday evening, Kirkland said.

The FWC also discovered evidence of a boat wreck at the bottom of the bay while searching the area with sonar, he said.

Debris also was found in the water, but there had been no reports of a wreck in the area, Kirkland said.

It also was unclear Friday if the wreckage and the woman’s body are related.

An FWC dive team will inspect the area Saturday morning, Kirkland said.

Anyone who saw or heard anything unusual near the Mid-Bay Bridge on Thursday evening or early Friday is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 651-7400 or the FWC Wildlife Alert line at 888-404-3922.

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NICEVILLE — A woman’s body was recovered from Choctawhatchee Bay on Friday afternoon, shortly before officials discovered wreckage of a boat near the Mid-Bay Bridge.

A resident contacted the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office about 2 p.m. after noticing the body in the bay. Niceville firefighters pulled the woman from the water about a mile south of Dana Pointe, according to Assistant Fire Chief Tony Lohrman.

The woman had no identification, said Stan Kirkland, spokesman Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. However, officials had a tentative ID and were trying to contact her family Friday evening, Kirkland said.

The FWC also discovered evidence of a boat wreck at the bottom of the bay while searching the area with sonar, he said.

Debris also was found in the water, but there had been no reports of a wreck in the area, Kirkland said.

It also was unclear Friday if the wreckage and the woman’s body are related.

An FWC dive team will inspect the area Saturday morning, Kirkland said.

Anyone who saw or heard anything unusual near the Mid-Bay Bridge on Thursday evening or early Friday is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 651-7400 or the FWC Wildlife Alert line at 888-404-3922.